15 And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet.
16 And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.
17 But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.
18 Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.
(Mosiah 8:16-18)
In the First Book of Samuel in the Old Testament, we read that Saul referred to the prophet Samuel as “the seer.” The author explains that “he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer” (1 Samuel 9:9).
In the Book of Mormon passage above, King Limhi attempts to distinguish between a seer and a prophet. Ammon corrects him, teaching him that the following three terms are basically synonymous:
- seer
- revelator
- prophet
A person who receives revelation from God is a seer, because he can see things with his “spiritual eyes” which he could not have detected with his “natural eyes” (Moses 1:11). He is a prophet, because he sees both the past and the future and can report events that have not yet happened. He is a revelator because he reveals the truths he has learned to other people, and by so doing “becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings.”
I’m grateful that God reveals His truth to mortal men and that they have the privilege of declaring His word to us. I am grateful for the words I have heard prophets speak and for the power in those words which has helped me draw closer to my Heavenly Father.
What a great, succinct way to clarify the interrelationships of these terms! Well done.
Thanks!